07/10/2026
The Treasury Department says it stopped a massive wave of $175 million in federal payments tied to deceased recipients in fiscal year 2026 as the government expands its screening for improper payments.
"Unless you were playing Frisbee in the quad during Econ 101, you know the federal government shouldn’t be sending taxpayer money to dead people," Sen. John Kennedy tells Fox News Digital.
The Louisiana Republican spent years pushing legislation aimed at preventing these payments. Now, he says, that effort is law.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the department is "moving beyond ‘pay and chase’ and making prevention the federal government’s first line of defense."
Read how Treasury is catching the payments before the money goes out: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/millions-saved-blocking-dead-people-payouts-trump-treasury-drops-hammer-federal-fraud
